Collection PL

Egypt 1950 — Gamil Fawzi El-Motei Oldsmobile & Vauxhall Service Station (Heliopolis–Abbassia)

Original 1950 service and delivery letterhead from Gamil Fawzi El-Motei, the official Oldsmobile and Vauxhall agent in Cairo and one of the earliest postwar General Motors dealerships operating in Egypt. The top section is printed on light cream stock and features an unusually elaborate illustrated masthead for a mid-century Arab automotive agency. Two large halftone photographs dominate the header: the left image shows the dealership's illuminated evening service station with its tower signage and forecourt lighting, while the right image presents a clear street-level view of the showroom façade, with GENERAL MOTORS branding and the distinctive EL-MOTEI signage above the entrance. ... Read more →

Egypt 1908 — Mohammed El Komi Carriage & Automobile Workshop Invoice

Original 1908 trade invoice from Mohammed El Komi, a Cairo-based carriage and early automobile workshop situated on Rue El Saha near the palace of Mazloum Pasha. The upper section features a finely lithographed header showing a side-profile illustration of a horse-drawn carriage with the driver seated at the front. Above the vignette, the workshop name 'MOHAMMED EL KOMI' appears in a bold curved arc. ... Read more →

Egypt 1921 — National Bank of Egypt, Cairo Branch Issued Cheque

Original National Bank of Egypt cheque issued in Cairo on 23 March 1921, printed on pale cream security paper with an elaborate blue guilloche frame. The border consists of finely interlaced geometric linework characteristic of early twentieth-century British-engraved financial stationery. The upper section displays the bold NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT title flanked by twin rosettes, presenting the institution in its combined role as both Egypt’s de facto state bank and the country’s dominant commercial bank during this period. ... Read more →

Egypt 1935 — Palestine & Egypt Lloyd Ltd., Alexandria Agency Letterhead

Original 1935 commercial letterhead issued by Palestine and Egypt Lloyd Ltd., one of the most important multinational forwarding, clearing, and passenger-transport agencies operating in the Eastern Mediterranean during the interwar period. The sheet is printed on period cream office stock and carries a trilingual English–French–Arabic masthead, dominated by the bold PEL monogram at upper left. The left margin lists every operational branch of the company—Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Damascus, Aleppo, Baghdad, and Teheran—providing an unusually comprehensive snapshot of a major Levantine–Egyptian commercial network at a moment when regional transport corridors were undergoing rapid modernization. ... Read more →

Egypt 1927 — Italian Notarial & Consular Legalization Dossier

Complete two-page Italian legal and consular legalization dossier issued in 1927, preserving both the original handwritten notarial act and the entire foreign-ministry and consular authentication chain applied in Cairo. The dossier is executed on thin cream laid paper typical of interwar Italian administrative stationery, showing vertical chain lines, light surface sizing, and natural toning consistent with official notarial production. Each leaf is folded for presentation, with handwritten content extending across both pages in a refined early twentieth-century Italian cursive hand. ... Read more →

Greece 1949 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs Certified Translation and Legalisation (Volos–Athens)

Official 1949 Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs certified translation and legalization document, issued first in Volos and subsequently authenticated in Athens. The upper portion of the page contains the initial municipal declaration dated Volos, 1st April 1949, identifying the President of the Community and attesting to the origin and authenticity of the underlying Greek-language document. This section represents the first administrative layer: a local civil authority certifying the original act before it was forwarded to the foreign ministry. ... Read more →

Egypt 1925 — Government Internal Fraud Certificate With Full Pane of Six King Fouad Five Milliemes Revenues

Original 1925 internal government certificate issued within an Egyptian ministry to document an irregularity or attempted fraud in an internal administrative process. The document is fully handwritten in period script with dated entries, clerk annotations, and formal internal case wording, including the 15 October 1925 date written directly into the manuscript text. The paper displays natural toning, corner folds, and routine office wear consistent with everyday administrative handling during the Fouad era. ... Read more →

Spain 1857 — Banco de Zaragoza 100 Reales Vellón Serie A Issued Note No. 23322 (Pick S451b)

A fully issued Serie A example of the Banco de Zaragoza 100 reales vellón dated 1 May 1857, serial number 23322. This is a true issued banknote classified as Pick S451b, not a remainder or specimen. Issued Zaragoza notes from 1857 are among the rarest Spanish provincial banknotes, with only two S451b examples recorded by PMG to date and very few known in private or institutional collections. ... Read more →

Spain 1857 — Banco de Zaragoza 500 Reales Vellón Serie C Issued Note No. 08785 (Pick S453a)

A fully issued 500 reales vellón banknote from Banco de Zaragoza dated 14 May 1857, Serie C, serial number 08785. Classified as Pick S453a, this is the circulation-authorized form of the denomination. Issued Zaragoza notes of this type are among the rarest survivors of Spain’s provincial banking era; nearly all original circulation was redeemed and destroyed during the consolidation of banknote issuance in the latter 19th century. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte Specimen (Pick S1880s)

This specimen represents the sole documented control specimen of the Banco de San Juan 1 Peso Fuerte issue, printed in 1876 by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London for one of Argentina’s provincially chartered banks during the formative period of regional monetary autonomy. It is not part of a surviving series, but a single archival output with no issued, proof, or parallel specimen counterparts known. The Banco de San Juan operated within the interior province of San Juan during a period when Argentina’s banking system was highly decentralized. ... Read more →

Argentina 1876 — Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes Specimen (S1881s)

This specimen represents the sole documented control specimen of the Banco de San Juan 5 Pesos Fuertes issue, printed in 1876 by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company in London for the provincial Bank of San Juan. It is not part of a surviving series but a single archival output, with no issued, proof, or parallel specimen counterparts known. The Banco de San Juan operated within Argentina’s interior Andean province during a period when provincial banks exercised near-sovereign authority over local credit and currency issuance. ... Read more →

Spain 1857 — Banco de Zaragoza 200 Reales Vellón Serie B Issued Note No. 07958 (Pick S4532s)

A specimen of the Banco de Zaragoza 200 reales vellón dated 14 May 1857, Serie B, serial number 07958, classified as Pick S452s. This is the standard specimen format as preserved for printer archives and official reference, fully complete in its intended banknote form. The Madrid-school engraving includes the Spanish coat of arms, detailed acanthus ornaments, and formal promise text characteristic of Zaragoza's mid-19th century private-bank issues. ... Read more →